A video of a bulldozer driver, who was arrested for bulldozing toll booths on the Delhi-Lucknow highway in Uttar Pradesh, is being shared on social media with a false and communal claim that the accused driver is a Muslim.
BOOM reached out to Hapur Police, Uttar Pradesh who confirmed that the accused JCB driver's name is Dheeraj, and confirmed that he is not a Muslim.
A drunk bulldozer operator smashed portions of Chhajarsi toll plaza in Pilkhuwa area in a fit of rage here on June 11, 2024, after the staff asked him to pay the toll fee, Deccan Herald reported. After the video of the incident went viral, the police arrested the driver and the bulldozer was seized.
Right wing social media users have popularised the term "bulldozer justice" describing the practice of the Yogi Adityanath administration to demolish houses of alleged rioters, using JCB construction loaders. Critics have called it arbitrary justice that unfairly targets Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.
The false claim is viral in this context.
The viral video of the incident and photos of the accused arrested were posted by Times Now anchor Pranesh Kumar Roy with the caption, "Mohd Sajid Ali, a bulldozer driver, was asked to pay toll. He bulldozed the toll plaza. The @Uppolice has put him in jail without his bulldozer."
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Roy later deleted the post after several social media users pointed out that the accused name is Dheeraj and not Mohd Sajid Ali. Roy also posted the same video and photos of the accused later and apologised.
The same video and photos are being shared on X with the same false and communal claim. The X handle @sanjoychakra posted the video of the incident and the arrest with the caption, "Dadagiri of Mohamad Sajid, UP- Md Sajid Ali bulldozed toll plaza booth with JCB when he was asked to pay toll. Now, within hours, JCB has been seized. Md Sajid Ali charged with IPC 307, and arrested, and he can barely walk. Justice must be swift and punishment act as a deterrent."
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the claim that a Muslim bulldozer driver demolished the tool both, is false. The accused driver is named Dheeraj.
We found several news reports stating the accused's name.
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BOOM then reached out to Hapur SP Abhishek Verma, who rubbished the viral claim and confirmed that the accused name is Dheeraj.
"The factory owner is a Muslim and his name is Sajid where JCBs are used for work, but the accused is Dheeraj who was running a JCB without a licence. We have arrested him," SP Verma told BOOM.
Verma said the police were also checking if a case needed to be registered against the factory owner for allowing someone without a licence to operate the JCB.
The police further added that accused name is Dheeraj, son of Vidyaram, resident of Badaun, Uttar Pradesh.
SP Verma also posted the details regarding the arrest of Dheeraj on X. "In the PILAKHUA toll incident that took place yesterday accused Dheeraj has been arrested and has been remanded for judicial custody . @hapurpolice will expedite the prosecution process and make sure he gets the punishment that he deserves," the post read.